Co-Creating Open Educational Resources in the Global South: Lessons Learned from Lecturer and Student Collaboration

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Co-Creating Open Educational Resources in the Global South: Lessons Learned from Lecturer and Student Collaboration
Language: English
Authors: Patience Kelebogile Mudau (ORCID 0000-0002-5389-6942)
Source: Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning. 2025 29(2):70-86.
Availability: FLANZ: Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand. PO Box 391, Blenheim 7240, New Zealand. Web site: https://www.jofdl.nz/index.php/JOFDL/index
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Open Educational Resources, Developing Nations, Teacher Student Relationship, Cooperation, Graduate Students, College Faculty, Masters Programs, Foreign Countries, Student Developed Materials, Teacher Developed Materials, Personal Autonomy, Culturally Relevant Education
Geographic Terms: South Africa
ISSN: 1179-7665
1179-7673
Abstract: This study reports on the lessons learnt by lecturers and students in cocreating Open Educational Resources (OERs) through the processes of construction, contextualisation, and collaboration, using Ubuntu, an African philosophy; student agency; decolonisation; and open pedagogy to ground its approach. Adopting an interpretivist paradigm, six Master-in-Education students co-created an OER with their lecturers using lecture notes and formative assessments during the current study in 2021/2022. Data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire administered through Google Forms, completed by students involved in creating the OER. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that open educational practices could allow students to construct and share their ideas through ownership of learning, collaboration, contextualisation, and access to learning through openness. By participating in the construction and sharing of knowledge, collaboration, and contextual aspects, students, with their lecturers, can co-create OERs aligned to the African context and applicable to real-life situations. Student agency and epistemic justice have the potential to revolutionise education in the Global South by optimising open education practices that are inclusive, locally relevant, and innovative. Through collaborative efforts among various stakeholders, including higher education institutions that offer the same types of programmes, successful OER cocreation is essential. With knowledge sharing and a commitment to equitable access, educators and students can collectively address educational challenges and contribute to a more vibrant and dynamic educational ecosystem.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1492546
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This study reports on the lessons learnt by lecturers and students in cocreating Open Educational Resources (OERs) through the processes of construction, contextualisation, and collaboration, using Ubuntu, an African philosophy; student agency; decolonisation; and open pedagogy to ground its approach. Adopting an interpretivist paradigm, six Master-in-Education students co-created an OER with their lecturers using lecture notes and formative assessments during the current study in 2021/2022. Data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire administered through Google Forms, completed by students involved in creating the OER. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that open educational practices could allow students to construct and share their ideas through ownership of learning, collaboration, contextualisation, and access to learning through openness. By participating in the construction and sharing of knowledge, collaboration, and contextual aspects, students, with their lecturers, can co-create OERs aligned to the African context and applicable to real-life situations. Student agency and epistemic justice have the potential to revolutionise education in the Global South by optimising open education practices that are inclusive, locally relevant, and innovative. Through collaborative efforts among various stakeholders, including higher education institutions that offer the same types of programmes, successful OER cocreation is essential. With knowledge sharing and a commitment to equitable access, educators and students can collectively address educational challenges and contribute to a more vibrant and dynamic educational ecosystem.
ISSN:1179-7665
1179-7673